Welding systems reside at the core of the modern industrial age. From massive automobile assembly operations to automated manufacturing environments, these systems facilitate joining in ever more complicated manufacturing operations. Hot wire welding processes a wire or electrode being heated (e.g., via current) and received by a puddle created by a main heat source (e.g., plasma arc, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, metal inert gas (MIG) welding, flux core, among others). The hot wire welding process includes the resistance heating of the up to or near a melting point of such wire. In hot wire welding processes, the formation of an arc is avoided since an arc condition disrupts or overheats the puddle. A wire heated near or close to the melting point of the wire without arcing events is received by the puddle with little or no disruption. In order to prevent a formation of an arc, a welding parameter related to the workpiece can be detected. The welding parameter can indicate an arc condition in which the hot wire welding process can be adjusted.
Additionally, welding may involve, raising, cladding, building up, filling, hard facing, overlaying, joining, and other welding applications. When confronted with a workpiece having a curved surface, an orbital welding process may be used to rotate the welding head to apply a weld to the curved surface. The most common examples, where orbital welding is used, is the welding of pipe. Pipe welding may include thin wall application where the welding head is rotated about the other surface two piece ends being joined together, alternatively, pipe welding may include deep groove geometries where the welding electrode extends into a grove formed between the two pipes being joined to lay down successive beads of weld material to fill the groove and join the thick walled pipes. Orbital welding systems may include a welding head that is mounted on a guide track or a fixture that clamps or is otherwise supported on the workpiece and rotated to supply a weld. In another embodiment, an orbital welding system can include a chassis with a wheel system that includes one or more magnets to travel adjacent a workpiece. In other words, an orbital welding system that does not utilize a track or guide is considered within the scope of the subject innovation. Orbital welding often involves limited visibility of a welding zone with lead cameras and/or trailing cameras.
Welding systems can include numerous controls that can be adjusted by a user during a welding operation. For instance, conventional welding systems can include up to sixteen (16) buttons, inputs, and switches that require years of experience to comprehend and use efficiently. Often, a change in one adjustment can lead to a change in another adjustment in order to maintain consistency.
Orbital welding systems and non-orbital welding systems can be compromised by the number of adjustments a user can implement and what is needed is an improved technique to relate to preventing adjustment that is detrimental to a welding operation.